Benaiah's Courage: Overcoming Challenges

Benaiah's Courage

• Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was a valiant man from Kabzeel distinguished by his great deeds.

Feats of Benaiah

• He killed two sons of Ariel of Moab.
• He descended into a water pit during a snowy day and killed a lion.
• He killed an Egyptian who had a spear, using only a club initially, then disarming the Egyptian and killing him with his own spear.
• Benaiah was famous among the thirty mighty men, though not as high in rank as the first three.
• David included Benaiah in his council of close advisors.

The Significance of Benaiah

• Benaiah's story isn't as popular as David and Goliath, but it holds important lessons.

Not only Days of Good Times

• Life as a believer isn't only filled with good days like May, June, July, or September.
• There are also days like February, representing difficult times.

The Lion Attacking

• The lion in the pit can attack at any time, including May, June, or whenever it pleases.
• It often attacks when people are most vulnerable, like during cold and difficult times.
• The sermon aims for clarity, so attendees leave with a clear message.

The Greatness of David

• David was great because he had great men around him.
• John Maxwell would have appreciated this concept of teamwork.
• A strong team is essential for success, regardless of individual talent.
• David's greatness was amplified by the great individuals surrounding him.

Lists of Great Men

• The Word of God tells of compiling a list of great men who stood by David.
• There are two such lists: one in 1 Chronicles 11 from early in David's reign, and another at the end of his reign, which appears just before the account of Solomon's reign..
• Some individuals present in the first list may not appear in the second, and vice versa.
• The mentioned text focuses on the second list, where Benaiah is mentioned.

The Battle Belongs to All

• The first lesson is struggles are for everyone, not just a select few.
• Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, a priest who was chief over the Aaronites
• According to 1 Chronicles 12:27, Jehoiada was in charge of Aaronites.
• Leviites were responsible for maintaining order in the temple and leading worship.
• They were exempt from military service, focusing instead on temple duties.
• Benaiah, despite being a Levite and son of a high priest, chose to fight.
• He believed that if his people were under attack, he couldn't exempt himself because of his Levite status.
• Benaiah didn't use his religious role as an excuse to avoid military service.
• Jehoiada himself led 23 Levites in support, indicating Benaiah wasn't the only volunteer from the Levite community.
• Benaiah went to war, although he was not required to fight.
• Based on calculations, Benaiah was likely very young when David fought Goliath, possibly even newly born.
• This suggests he was too young to be officially enlisted.
• Benaiah disregarded these factors, seeing the lion as a threat he needed to confront regardless of his age or eligibility.

Diabolical Attacks

• The devil doesn't care about your qualifications or exemptions; he aims to steal, kill, and destroy.
• The older generation passes, so the upcoming generations must also perservere
• The devil attacks everyone—young, old, experienced, or new in faith.
• Everyone will eventually face their own "lion" in one form or another.
• Benaiah recognized the urgency and didn't postpone the fight.

Benaiah: A Levite

• As a Levite, Benaiah wasn't obligated to serve in the military, yet he chose to fight.
• When David fought Goliath, Benaiah might have been too young to fight.

The Second Lesson

• The second lesson is Benaiah didn't willingly become a hero; he stumbled upon the lion.

In the place

• Sometimes, people find themselves in challenging situations unexpectedly.

Daniel and Joseph

• Joseph didn't desire to be in a pit, but his brothers threw him there.
• Daniel didn't want to be in a den of lions, but King Darius couldn't save him due to his own laws.
• Daniel was thrown into the pit because King Darius was obligated to follow set laws
• As a result hundreds of thousands of the people groups perished

A Turning Point

• Benaiah sought out the lion, marking a turning point.
• There is a strategy of tactical retreats from the devil, but the church has retreated too much until it does things like the aforementioned
• Many churches focus on songs of victory without engaging in actual battles.
• Modern society and psychology encourage avoiding pain, hardship, and sacrifice, leading to weakness.
• Many people want to believe they're gifted without having to train hard.
• Leprosy is used an as example of when you do not fight, you will not feel the pain when you lose.

No choice

• At psychiatric hospitals people dont react to the lost of a family member
• Churches have become like that losing their original mission for comfort.
• Benaiah, however, didn't run from the devil; he eagerly pursued the lion.
• The speaker emphasizes that one must either attack or be attacked.

Iakov's Words

• In James 4, people are told, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you", signifying a proactive stance.
• The speaker uses an analogy of fighting off dogs, as well as the fear of not getting the task done.
• The solution isn't to pray for escape from the pit, but to jump into it.
• The same God who asks people to come to Him also calls them to evangelize.
• As such you cant wait around for people to show up.

If we stop

• If people remain too long in this comfort, Satan will cause destruction.
• A person must attack the devil before the devil attacks them.
• If one can't defeat the devil, at least confuse him, referencing Gideon's strategy with the clay pots and torches.
• The aim is to create confusion among the enemy, so they fight each other.
• The speaker expresses satisfaction at seeing conflicting worldviews clashing, using a political example involving the American vice president and European leaders.
• The speaker stresses that these are colliding worlds and it is not time to retreat.

Times We Live In

• The speaker feels it is a pivotal time both spiritually and socially.
• In referencing Trump, the speaker mentions that Christians should attack now instead of being attacked, otherwise, this will bring about problems.
• There's no one-size-fits-all approach, or people who are too good to fight
• In life you either attack or are attacked.

The Battle Ground

• Benaniah didn't run from the devil; he jumped into the lion.
• He didn´t pick the time or place of the battle.
• The speaker appreciates how David understood the circumstances that he was facing when looking at Benaiah
• It's hardest to fight when in a "pit"—spiritually, materially, or psychologically. The speaker makes the distinction that such a state is a "narrow place"
• First think is when in this pit is that the devil is constantly pointing out how bad the person is, how distant he is from G-d.
• One shouldn't only think about G-d when fighting, but at the same time the main challenge will be getting around the lie that G-d isn't there.

Battle Conditions

• The devil prefers to fight under conditions chosen by him, even if Benaiah jumped into the pit.
• The speaker also brings up that the place was in the winter, and that the time also matters - easier in the spring, and hard when weak.

How People View You

• The speaker notes that they love when people are elderly, and that, like Benaiah, they want to make people reach 108 years of age.
• And that that also relates to the youth also - people will have different attitudes to youth.

Habakkuk

• The speaker then describes The Book of Habakkuk, it is easier to fight when there are goals to aim.
• People need strength and will through having the spirit with them. This spirit isn't always there.
• Often, in difficult situations it isn't the best outcome, in a situation where an animal isn't fed
• People aren't converted because they postpone conflict
• People look for something spring-like, and the fear to do what is immediately important

Important Lessons

• The speaker calls to consider whether it is a waste to let ones spear in the dirt.
• Difficult days can also bring people closer to G-d
• The lord wants you most when you can´t believe

Rewards and Goals

• The speaker says that G-d gives after death while the devil during rewards us before battle.
• Because he will elevate Benaiah to commander where David was

Lessons from David

• Solomon elevated Benaias Commander of Armies
• One of the last lessons is that we are on a battle ground
• the story is that once Anibal wanted to destroy Rome and made a terrible mistake
• After conquering the Alphs Anibal rested and had a vacation where it was terrible to make a vacation
• The big problem with having people in spiritual battles is that having a strong spiritual plan is as difficult task

Not Afraid

• But a person needs to believe that they re not afraid and push on.
• If a pastor is called to mow - there is a time to mow and a time not too - not just be someone that the Church must be.
• If a pastor has the ability to influence and does not call people to action they can stop.
• This is because there is the belief that the moment that action happens The Devil will try to scare you off.

Final Thoughts

• The speaker finishes by saying that One must not be scared by this and to push to The Fight.

Explore the courageous feats of Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, and their significance. Like Benaiah, believers may face unexpected challenges that represent a "lion in the pit." Discover how to overcome life's trials with faith and bravery.